“I Thought We Had No Rights” – Challenges in Listening, Storytelling, and Representation of LGBT Refugees

Abstract:

Storytelling serves as a vital resource for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Trans* (LGBT) refugees’ access to asylum. It is through telling their personal stories
to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board that LGBT refugees’ claims for
asylum are accessed and granted. Storytelling also serves as a mechanism for LGBT
refugees to speak about social injustice within and outside of Canada. In this article, I
explore the challenges of storytelling and social justice as an activist and scholar. I
focus on three contexts where justice and injustice interplay in LGBT refugee
storytelling: the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, public advocacy around
anti-queer violence and refugee rights, and oral history research. I describe how in
each arena storytelling can be a powerful tool of justice for LGBT refugees to validate
their truths and bring their voices to the forefront in confronting state and public
violence. I investigate how these areas can also inflict their own injustices on LGBT
refugees by silencing their voices and reproducing power hierarchies.